LHHS band wins first winter regional
The Lake Hamilton High School Winter Winds captured its first Winter Guard International regional championship Saturday in Texas.
Lake Hamilton took first place in Scholastic Class A of the WGI Dallas Winds Regional at Burleson Centennial High School in Burleson. The band’s scores qualified the Winter Winds to compete again at the World Champi-
onships in Scholastic Class A, the deepest of the WGI classifications.
“We used this as an experience for us to get better,” said Jon Shultz, Lake Hamilton director of bands. “This is the only regional we are able to go to. Most of them are far off. Most of this happens in the Midwest or in larger cities.”
The World Championships will return to Dayton, Ohio, April 22-23. Lake Hamilton placed fourth in the classification in 2016 and received the “fan favorite” award out of all bands to compete in the scholastic classes.
WGI is structured similarly to Drum Corps International, in which bands perform throughout the country during the summer. Events include about 60 regionals and power regionals in the United States, Canada and Europe.
The competition season culminates with the three-day World Championships to evaluate more than 350 color guards, 250 percussion ensembles and 40 winds groups. Preliminaries will take place April 22 in the Wright State University Nutter Center. The finals will be held April 23 at University of Dayton Arena.
“It’s insane what they do,” Shultz said. “They are full-fledged shows and they are insane.”
According to WGI, the organization was founded in 1977 “to draw together the growing winter guard activity, standardize rules, and provide leadership and guidance.” WGI added the winds marching competition in 2015.
Separate divisions of competitions are offered for scholastic groups and other all-age ensembles. Many DCI bands, such as the Crossmen and the Cadets, compete in WGI.
“WGI is kind of the one place where everybody gets to compete together,” Shultz said. “You may not compete against each other. High schools still compete against high schools, but you are still there with the world-class groups.”
About 50 students make up Lake Hamilton’s Winter Winds. Shultz said auditions were held, but every student who wanted to perform was included in the ensemble.
Bands are judged on different criteria than marching performances. Lake Hamilton performs with the same music from the marching season, but Shultz said they modify it to fit the WGI competition.
Lake Hamilton was in second place after the preliminaries in Burleson. The band rehearsed for two hours before the finals with changes made from the judges’ comments and overtook Greenwood High School in first place. Lake Hamilton earned the second-best score Saturday among the three regional competitions held in Texas, South Carolina and Minnesota.
Shultz said WGI performances are more difficult with less musicians and closer attention to detail. He said small features, such as Lake Hamilton’s lighted shoes, are more noticeable in WGI.
Assistance from the Lakeside School District allowed Lake Hamilton to compete. The band’s trailer could not make the trip to Texas, but Lakeside loaned its trailer for the competition.
Shultz organized rehearsal in Princeton, Texas, where students slept overnight in the school’s two band rooms for free. A local Baptist church catered meals for the students and allowed them to use a gym for rest and rehearsal.
The communal nature of WGI is another similar component to DCI, where students travel by bus for months, only stopping for performances and short stays in churches, schools and other public buildings. Lake Hamilton students slept in an armory during their trip to the World Championships.
“We want to have two great performances,” Shultz said. “Last year, we had one great performance and one mediocre performance. We want to have two great performances.”